This seat in the industrial heart of Scotland has suffered more than most from the decline in traditional industries. The former Ravenscraig steelworks were closed in 1992 with a loss of 1,500 jobs. The decline of coal and engineering has also meant job losses. The overwhelming majority of homes in this mainly working-class seat are council-rented. The industrial landscape has been softened in recent years through the development of Strathclyde Country Park, which includes a 200-acre artificial loch.

Motherwell has a historical significance for the SNP. It was the scene of the 1945 wartime by-election at which Dr Robert McIntyre was elected as the party’s first MP. Labour won the seat back at the 1945 general election and have held it ever since. Won by Jack McConnell, subsequently first minister, in 1999, it has gained a degree of notoriety after allegations of financial irregularities in the local Labour party. An internal inquiry cleared Mr McConnell and MP Frank Roy of any impropriety, but the affair symbolised for many the murky nature of Lanarkshire politics.